Book Title: Jaina Iconography
Author(s): B Bhattacharya
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 164
________________ 130 Jaina Iconography blue lotus and a twig.1 According to another of the same Svetambara school, she sits on a lotus and is four-handed showing Varada, rosary and a bough of a tree. The Digambara text also describes her as of blue colour and as riding a boar and bearing a trident. The Vidyadevi has a parallel in name to the Svetambara Yakṣiņi of Śreyāṁśanatha and in the Digambara Yakṣini of Sitalanatha. The former parallel does not seem to be of form but of mere name. Šītalanatha's Yakṣiņi as admitted by the Digambara school presents a similarity of name and vehicle. Stress has been laid on the Vidyadevi's colour being blue and in this connection, one is led to trace some faint relation between her and the Nilasarasvati of Brāhmaṇism. The boar symbol would connect the female deity with Vārāhi having the same vehicle. Vairoți The Svetambara text represents the goddess as riding on a snake and carrying in her hands a sword, snake, shield and snake. The Digambaras' Vidyadevi rides a lion and has a snake symbols. The Yakşini of the identical name occurs in the Digambara Iconography and belongs to Vimalanatha. Her vehicle and symbol in both the instances consist of snakes. That there exists a sure cognateness between the conception of the Vidyadevi and the Yakṣiņi is clearly indicated by a Digambara text which in an invocation calls the latter a Vidyadevi." 1. नीलाङ्गी नीलसरोजवाहना वृक्षभासमानकरा मानवस्य सर्वस्य मङ्गलं मानवी दद्यात् ॥ Acaradinakara. 2. Nirvanakalikā. 3. स्वं धिन्वतो मानवी केकिकण्ठनीला किटिस्था सझषत्रिशूला । Pratisthāsāroddhāra. 4. वैरोटी श्यामवर्णामजगरवाहनां चतुर्भुजां खङ्गोरगालङ्कृतदक्षिणकरां खेटकाहियुतवामकराम् । Nirvanakalikā. 5. cai faguarauqqani asî`seu âzìfe aàserietų || 6. वैरोटी हरितार्च्यते । प्रों ह्रीं विद्यादेवि इदम् ।। Pratisthāsāroddhāra. Pratiṣṭhāsāroddhāra.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247